Since his return from a lengthy hiatus, Last Week Tonight’s John Oliver has expertly dismantled the right-wing hysteria over critical race theory and told former president George W. Bush to “shut the fuck up” about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
On Sunday night’s edition of his HBO show, he paid tribute to the brave people of Ukraine for fighting off Russia’s morally reprehensible military assault.
“Ukraine citizens have continued to show incredible signs of resistance, proving that they truly are the ‘fuck around and find out’ country of Eastern Europe,” said Oliver.
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He then threw to a CNN interview with a Ukrainian grandmother (and retired economist) showing the media the only weapons she had: crates of Molotov cocktails.
“Let those Russian shits come here,” she told CNN. “We are ready to greet them.”
The Russian government, meanwhile, has taken step to criminalize any media criticism of their war on Ukraine, and also banned Facebook and Twitter in the country. Russia’s Education Ministry even aired an outrageous propaganda video featuring a little girl answering questions about the Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and getting some truly bizarre answers.
“I have a question: ‘special operation’… what does it mean?” the girl asked. “It’s when goals lead to peace,” the Russian official replied. “We do not attack residential buildings. We do not hit the civilians. We do not destroy the social infrastructure—kindergartens, schools, water utilities, substations.”
Of course, it’s all nonsense.
“You’ve literally just done almost all those things!” exclaimed Oliver. “Russian strikes have destroyed hospitals, schools, and homes. Also, I really don’t want to be giving notes to state propaganda, but if you’re going to lie to a child’s face, maybe cast a less creepy man to do that.”
“And yet, despite Russia’s efforts to control this narrative, we continue to see protests there,” he continued. “Not only is this war morally indefensible, but the impact of global sanctions are now being felt at every level of Russian society.”
Unfortunately, as Oliver pointed out toward the end of the segment, Russia’s “human-rights abuses” continue in Ukraine. A Russian military strike hit a suburb of Kyiv on Sunday, killing two children and a number of other civilians.
